


PMDVRAI

by JackieNautilus



Category: HLVRAI - Fandom, Half Life VR But The AI Is Self Aware, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time & Explorers of Darkness & Explorers of Sky
Genre: Adventure! :), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, And some things changed, M/M, Nobody asked for an hlvrai pmd au but you're GETTING ONE ANYWAY, The main relationship is going. To be very slow-burn I'm sorry, This follows the essentially the same story as PMD Explorers of Sky, just with some things added, they/himrey
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-05
Updated: 2021-01-05
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:22:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,773
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27889732
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JackieNautilus/pseuds/JackieNautilus
Summary: Gordon Freeman is a Sandslash who’s been quite down on his luck recently. A rookie adventurer of less-than average skill, and without proper qualifications to boot. He could just go and join the local guild… Anyone can. But he always freaks out at the gate. And today was no exception.What was supposed to be a routine stress-relieving trip down to the beach one Spring afternoon, quickly turns Gordon Freeman's world on it's head when he finds a shiny Pawniard unconscious on the shore. This chance encounter ends up dragging him down a road of exploration and adventure, a journey spanning across Time and Space itself, as he not only tries to solve his own little mystery, but that of his new partner's as well.A HLVRAI Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Explorers of Sky AU
Relationships: Benrey/Gordon Freeman, Dr. Coomer/Bubby, Gordon Freeman & Benrey, Tommy Coolatta/Darnold
Comments: 32
Kudos: 101





	1. Chapter One - Spring and a Storm

**Chapter One: Spring & A Storm**

Two bodies reach for one another as a storm swirls around them. The only noise is the ethereal droning buzz of their method of transportation, the howling wind, occasional bursts of thunder and their own screaming.

Hand slips from paw. Lightning crackles. A pleading cry.

And then nothing but the sound of raging waves.

* * *

Yellow eyes groggily fall open on a sandy shore.

_‘Auugh… Shit.’_

A failed attempt at movement. Blackness dances in the corners of vision.

_‘Yoo… This… Isn’t so epic. Body shutting down... Guess it’s… Nap time…’_

And yellow eyes fall shut.

* * *

Gordon Freeman is a Sandslash who’s been quite down on his luck recently. A rookie adventurer of less-than average skill, and without proper qualifications to boot. He could just go and join the local guild… Anyone can. But he always freaks out at the gate. And today was no exception.

He felt confident when he woke up that morning. He really did. Gordon took one look at his personal treasure, a small rock with odd white markings on it that he had found on one of his ‘expeditions’ a few years ago and decided that today would be the day he finally joined the guild. He tried his best to pump himself up for it, repeating a mantra of, “You’ve got this, Gordon. You can do this. It's just a stupid gate.”

But when he arrived at the entry gate, he froze up. The yelling of the sentry on duty threw him off, and he stepped back, ears pressed down against his skull. He shook his head, decided _‘screw this, another day,’_ and ran right back down the hill, a cloud of negative emotions following close behind.

The beach was always a nice place to go and clear your thoughts. Gordon had realized this many years ago during a particularly rough time in his life, and now the beach was his favorite place to go when he was feeling troubled. And luck at least seemed to be on his side today, because as he stepped onto the familiar sandy shore, he was greeted by the sight of the local Krabby blowing colorful bubbles into the air. A rare but definitely not unwelcome sight.

Releasing a breath he didn’t know he was holding, Gordon approached the water, staring out over the horizon. Most ground types had a natural aversion to water, but Gordon honestly didn’t mind it. As long as it wasn’t an attack aimed directly at his face, water was actually quite pleasant.

His negative thoughts were pushed to the side, instead taken over by feelings of tranquility and peace. The bubbles floating past, the salty ocean breeze… Yeah. These small things always made him feel better after a stressful day or experience. Gordon took some deep breaths, stretching a little. He felt bad about chickening out of joining the guild again, but it was almost becoming routine at this point. Maybe one day he would work up the mental strength to cross that threshold. But today was not that day.

Gordon was about to turn and leave, having had his fill of staring out at the ocean and thinking about life for the day, but a small noise caught his attention. Normally if he heard a noise out here that wasn’t the ocean, he’d chalk it up to the Krabby moving around. But this noise did NOT sound like tiny feet scuttling along stones. Twitching an ear, Gordon focused… And heard it again. Louder this time.

It sounded like someone groaning in pain.

Instantly shifting into panic mode, Gordon began scouting the beach for the source of the noise. And it didn’t take him long to spot something poking out from behind some rocks. The Sandslash ran over as fast as he could, only stopping when he got a full view of the Pokemon lying on the ground in front of him.

A Pawniard. A blue Pawniard with a lighter blue scarf sprawled out over their limp form. Gordon carefully knelt down next to the stranger, brow furrowing in concern. He hesitantly reached out to shake their shoulder, to try and get them to open their eyes, but he quickly flinched back when the Pawniard’s right arm suddenly twitched. He watched with bated breath as their head turned to the side, seemingly trying to open their eyes. They blinked a few times, groaning as they tried to push themselves up into a sitting position. Key word being tried. Their arm blades kept slipping, sending them back down into the sand.

Gordon cleared his throat, and the Pawniard immediately flinched, eyes shooting open, black pupils darting around frantically before finally landing on Gordon.

“Hey.” Gordon finally spoke after a beat of awkward silence. He tried to keep his voice as quiet and gentle as possible as to not startle the guy even more than they already were. “Are you… Alright?”

Yellow eyes bored into him for what felt like hours until the stranger finally spoke.

“...N’t feel my hands…”

“I’m sorry?” Gordon asked, head tilting to the side in confusion. “Could you please repeat that?”

“I can’t feel my hands.” They repeated, louder and less mumbly this time.

“Your… Your hands?” Gordon had to stifle a snort. Either this guy was delirious, or they were fucking with him. Considering that he just found them passed on on the beach shore, he decided to settle for the former. “You mean your blades?”

There was another long stretch of silence. And then the Pawniard slowly raised their left arm over their face. They stared at it for a long time. So long in fact, that Gordon was seriously considering just helping this guy up and getting him to the nearest medical facility. Until they spoke again.

“Huh. I don’t think my arm’s supposed to look like that.”

They were so sure of that fact. Their mind was fuzzier than… Than something. They don’t have the mental capacity to think of a shitty metaphor right now. Not when their arm is a fucking blade and there’s a stranger talking to them and… Where are they, anyway? They don’t remember how they got here. They don’t remember what they were doing yesterday, either.

_Oh no._

_They can’t remember anything._

Gordon stared at the Pawniard, a look of complete and utter bafflement on his face. He absentmindedly reached up and ran his claws through his quills.

“For Arceus’s sake. You’re a Pawniard. Pawniard have knife-hands, you’re fine. Ok I think-” Gordon carefully reached out, touching their forehead. Ok, they weren’t burning up. They weren’t sick, that was… Good at least? “I think whatever knocked you out may have… Scrambled your brain or something.”

Gordon helped them up into a sitting position, watching with intrigue as they continued to stare at their arm, disbelief evident in their eyes.

“No bro… This isn’t right. I’m not…” They suddenly began looking over the rest of their body in an almost frenzied manner. They seemed… Panicked. Then, in one swift motion, they stood up, stumbling over to one of the several rock pools scattered around the beach. They fell to their knees in front of one, staring into it intensely. From where he was kneeling in the sand, Gordon could hear them quietly whisper, “Oh fuck.”

Pushing himself back up to full height, Gordon joined the oddball Pawniard by the rock pool. In the water he could very clearly see the two of them reflected on the surface.

They carefully reached into the pool, tapping their reflection with one of their blades.

“Hey, man…” Gordon placed a gentle paw on their shoulder. “Are you okay? I can… I can take you to a doctor if you need one. I think you might need one.”

They shook their head in response, turning away from the rock pool. “I’m… Fuck. Bro I- I can’t remember shit right now. I’m pretty sure I uh… Do know two things though.”

They spun around to face Gordon, arms motioning to their own body.

“First thing I’m sure of is that uh.” They made a noise that vaguely sounded like they were smacking their lips. “I’m not a fucking Pokemon, dude. Like what the fuck. My hands got snatched.”

Now it was Gordon’s turn to stare in disbelief. Disbelief that very quickly dissolved into laughter.

“Dude, I… I what?? What do you mean you’re not a Pokemon? Are you trying to pull my leg here?”

They shook their head so fast he thought their head blade would come flying off.

“NO I'm. I’m not messing around here. I’m… I was…” Their attention was briefly stolen by a bubble floating towards them. It popped as soon as it came into contact with their head blade. Shaking their head again, they continued stammering over their words. _“I was a fucking human, man.”_

They began pacing back and forth. This was quite troubling for them. Quite troubling indeed. They started mumbling incomprehensible things under their breath, and all Gordon could find himself doing was stare. This whole situation was so absurdly strange and he was, quite understandably, having a difficult time wrapping his head around this. He rubbed the side of his head, letting out a huff of air.

“Look… I’m not going to straight up say I don’t believe you, because you clearly seem pretty shaken up about this.” He carefully approached, placing both claws on their shoulders to stop them from pacing. “You said you remembered two things. What was the other?”

They inhaled and exhaled very slowly. “My name.”

“Your name?” Gordon repeated. They nodded in confirmation. “And your name is?”

“Bbb.”

“Bbb? That’s your-”

They very quickly butted in. “Benrey.”

Benrey. Right.

“Ok. Ok, your name… Is Benrey?”

Another nod. Their eyes… Seemed to light up a little. “Benrey!”

Benrey had to be the strangest Pokemon he’s ever met, Gordon decided. An amnesiac Pawniard claiming to be a human. He really wanted to say that he didn’t believe him. It seemed just… Absolute nonsense. But as he continued to observe Benrey… His mannerisms were quite bizarre. The way he talked, the way he stumbled over his own feet, the fact that he seemed quite bothered by the fact that he didn’t have hands… It was all too elaborate and out-there to just be a prank. Maybe his words held some truth to them.

Gordon stared out at the ocean, taking a deep breath. “Ok. So, let me get all this straight. You can’t remember anything. Don’t know how you got here. Don’t know why you were passed out, and the only things you can remember, is that you’re pretty damn sure you’re a human, and that your name is Benrey. Do I have all this right?”

“Yeah. Pretty much, man. Shits sucks for me right now.” They stared at the ground in a downcast manner, crossing their arms.

“Right. Benrey, look at me.” Gordon said, gently tapping them on the head. They complied, looking up at him curiously. “The stuff about- about being human. I’m not going to lie to you, that sounds like a load of crap to me. But I’m going to give you the benefit of the doubt here. But this isn’t my concern at the moment, my main concern, is that you have severe amnesia dude. Maybe even a concussion. We should probably get you to a medical facility, I know there’s one at the gu-”

Oh fuck. The only medical facility in town was at the guild. How the hell did he forget that?

“Dude, you cut yourself off.” He heard Benrey say. “What were you saying?”

Okay Gordon. This is fine. If he takes Benrey to the guild for medical attention, well… That’s different than going on his own to sign up to join, isn’t it? It’s for the health and safety of another. A whole other can of worms. Alright. He can do it this time. He has to.

“Sorry, I zoned out. I was saying that the medical facility was located in the local gui-”

Cut off for the second time. Not by his thoughts this time, but instead by a shrill wail. He barely had time to register the noise, or what followed. His ears were ringing. His head swiveled back towards where the path leading into town was. Two Pokemon were charging right towards him. A Gligar and- oh. He didn’t get a proper look at the second. Because the Gligar tackled him right in the side. He was knocked to the ground, winded from the blow. He could hear Benrey shouting something, the Gligar and their partner laughing, and as he managed to push himself up on his arms, he caught a glimpse of the Gligar booking it into Beach Cave with their purple blur of an accomplice in tow.

He was about to ask what the fuck that was all about… Until he reached into his bag while checking himself over. His Relic Fragment was missing.

Those assholes robbed him.

“Those assholes robbed me!” Gordon yelled, claws digging into the sand in complete frustration. Today was going perfect. So much for luck being on his side.

“They stole from you?” Benrey inquired. “That’s illegal, they can’t do that.”

“No shit.” Gordon responded through gritted teeth, shakily standing back up. He ran a claw over where the Gligar had collided with him, letting out an aggravated sigh. Yeah, that was definitely going to bruise later. He turned and stared at the entrance to Beach Cave.

The dungeon was easy enough. So easy that a child could probably traverse it with little to no fanfare.

It was the fact that there were two somewhat probably competent enemies waiting in the pit that was stopping him from charging in there all willy-nilly. He wanted his Relic Fragment back, but he also didn’t want to fight a 1 vs 2. Then he had a sudden thought. He didn’t like it, but it may be his only hope.

He turned to Benrey.

“Hey man. I know you were just unconscious, are clearly suffering from severe amnesia, and have only known me for like. 5 minutes.” He walked over, placing a claw on his shoulder. “But would you mind helping me get my stuff back from those two assholes?”

The Pawniard seemed to be taking this request into careful consideration. He made more lip smacking noises, looked around the beach and absentmindedly kicked the sand.

“Yeah. I’ll uhh… I’ll help you. Because I’m epic.” He kicked a rock into the ocean. “And… Also because I literally have nothing better to do right now.”

“Oh, that’s… That’s... Cool. Thanks.” Gordon scratched his back, heading back over to where he first found Benrey lying down and picking up the Pawniard's discarded scarf. “I’ll take you to the guild after we get my Item back. If we go now, we should be able to catch up. Kind of a dumb move on their part, anyway. Running into a Mystery Dungeon that just leads to a dead-end.”

Glancing back at Benrey, Gordon saw him standing there with confusion in his eyes.

“What’s a Mystery Dungeon?”

_… Oh boy._

_This was going to be an even longer day than it already was._


	2. Chapter Two - Adjusting to Something New

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gordon & Benrey make their way into the depths of Beach Cave to go and get Gordon's Relic Fragment back from the thieves who stole it. Along the way, the two get to know each other a little better, and Gordon assists Benrey in becoming acquainted with his new form and abilities.

**Chapter Two: Adjusting to Something New**

“Mystery Dungeon 101,”

Gordon led Benrey down a soggy corridor lined with coral, both dead and alive, peering around each corner just in case there were hostile Pokemon nearby.

“The Dungeon layout changes every time you enter one.”

“Oh yo, real shit?” The Pawniard asked, trying to squeeze past Gordon to no avail. His scarf was now tied around his neck, something that Gordon had to help him with due to… Having blades for arms.

Gordon gently nudged him back, letting out a weary sigh. "Yes, 'real shit.' And- stop trying to push past me, man! The corridor's too narrow."

Gordon could practically feel him rolling his eyes. 

"So as I was saying; Mystery Dungeons change their layout every time you enter one. It'll never be the same each time you enter. And another thing to note," Gordon carefully maneuvered around a patch of water, motioning for Benrey to follow him motions. Thankfully, he actually complied. "Is that Mystery Dungeons are full of hostile Pokemon that will attack you on sight and try to make your day as miserable as possible."

"There's enemies down here?" Benrey inquired. Gordon nodded sagely.

"Mhm. Though the enemies in this dungeon aren't too tough, so we shouldn't have anything to worry about. Dungeons tend to vary in difficulty, and this one's known for being very easy to traverse."

"Nice." 

"You understood all that?" Gordon asked, turning back to face Benrey. There was a brief moment of silence before the Pawniard spoke again.

"Yeah. Yeah I understand. Dungeons change their layout everytime you enter and there are hostiles 'round waiting to beat you up. The hostiles want to beat you up so bad."

Gordon rolled his eyes, letting put a small amused chuckle. "Yeah. They want to beat us up real bad."

The two finally made it to the end of the corridor, entering into a large chamber. At the far end of the room was a staircase leading down. Gordon pointed at the out-of-place staircase.

"Those are stairs. They're how you progress through a Mystery Dungeon."

"Why stairs? That's mega strange." Benrey observed the stairs from afar. Gordon shrugged in response.

"I don't know, man. Mystery Dungeons are strange in general. It's best to not question it. Let's get a move on, those stairs will take us to the second floor."

Benrey nodded, and he and Gordon made their way over to the stairs, carefully walking down them and making it down to the second floor. The room they arrived in was smaller than the one they were just in, but there were some things lying around on the ground. A small blue object and a shiny golden thing. 

"Oh sweet, free stuff." Gordon mused, picking up both items and shoving them into his bag.

"You stealin'?" Benrey asked, head tilting to the side. "You a little thief? I thought we were trying to stop a robbery, not become robbers. I might have to uh… hand you in to the authorities."

Gordon looked at Benrey, raising an eyebrow. "Dude… items found lying around on the ground in Mystery Dungeons are free game. It's not stealing if it never belonged to anyone in the first place. You don't- you don't even know who the authorities around here are!"

"Wow, no need to rub it in- uh… um…" 

"What?" Gordon asked after Benrey cut himself off.

"You. Never told me your name."

"Oh." Gordon mentally smacked himself. He never told- for fucks sake. He forgot the most common form of etiquette. "Gordon Freeman. My name is Gordon. Can't believe I forgot to- shit, man. Sorry about that."

Benrey chuckled. "I thought I was supposed to be the one with the memory problems."

"Oh, shut up." Gordon gave him a gentle and playful shove. 

"So. What were those things you just picked up, anyway?"

"Oran berry and some cash." Gordon showed the items to Benrey, who eyed them curiously.

"Oran Berry?"

"Mhm." Gordon dumped the items back in his bag. "Oran berries, not to be confused with the near-identical oren berries, are fruits that'll heal your injuries. Oren berries, on the other hand, hurt you upon consumption."

"Huh." Is all Benrey had to say. "Hey, by the way, how do you know so much 'bout these places, anyway?"

"Oh. Um, well..." Gordon nervously glanced to the side. "I've always had an interest in like- adventuring 'n shit. I'm a rookie when it comes to this, though. I'm just telling you what I've learned myself."

"Self taught?" Benrey asked. Gordon nodded in confirmation. Benrey didn't really have any follow-up questions, so the duo returned to the main task at hand.

As they progressed through the dungeon, Gordon would occasionally find more items that he had to explain to Benrey. Other than that, the walk had been fairly uneventful. But with how Gordon' day had been going, that wasn't going to last. Gordon and Benrey entered another room, this one containing the stairs to the third floor. However, there were two hostile Pokemon in the room with them. A Shellder and a Blue Shellos. 

"Heads up, Benrey. We've got our first fight." Gordon mumbled, getting into a fighting stance. Benrey suddenly looked a little nervous, kicking the ground. Gordon curled up into a ball, slamming into the Shellder and knocking it against the wall. He looked back at Benrey who was staring at the Shellos as if it had grown a second head.

"Benrey, don't stand around! Attack it!"

"I… I, uh…" Benrey made more of those obnoxious lip smacking noises. He looked at his arm blades uncertainly, before looking up at Gordon. "I don't know how"

"You, _WHAT?_ " gordon shouted, watching as Benrey quickly scrambled away from a water gun the Shellos had just launched at him.

"I don't know how to use moves, bro!"

Right. Right, Benrey had told him. He used to be human. He had to try to guide Benrey through this in a way that would make sense to him. Problem is, he didn't know Benrey's moveset. He watched as Benrey rolled away from another water gun, and suddenly an idea clicked in his head. Humans had hands, right? He'd never seen one before, as they didn't exist in this world anymore, but Benrey mentioned having hands earlier, didn't he?

"Ok. Ok Benrey, listen to me!" Gordon yelled. He got Benrey's attention very quickly, and continued. "This is going to sound really fucking stupid, but _try making a fist!_ Flex your arms in the way you would when making a fist, it might do something!"

Benrey's eyes narrowed, but he turned back to face the Shellos. Lifting his arms a little, his body tensed up. Benrey focused as hard as he could. Flexed his arms like Gordon suggested, try to make a fist-

Oh. His left arm blade was glowing a bright silver. _Cool._

"Yo um." Benrey glanced back at Gordon. "What's this?"

"That's Metal Claw, dude! You're doing it!" Gordon cheered. "Now, hit the Shellos with it!"

Benrey wasted no time. He sprinted forward, smacking the Shellos with his glowing limb a couple of times until it slumped down against the wall next to the defeated Shellder. The Pawniard let his muscles relax, and this arm blade returned to normal. Gordon quickly ran to his side, patting his back.

"Nice going, man! You did it!"

"Hell yeah!" Benrey's eyes seemed to glow a little. "Showed that… Showed that jerk who the boss is."

Gordon snickered, heading towards the stairs. "Yeah. You definitely did, pal. Let's get a move on, the pit isn't too far, now. Maybe I'll teach you how to use some other moves in the future."

"That'd be- that'd be epic. Gordon niceman." Benrey said as he followed Gordon down the stairs. Gordon rolled his eyes.

They didn't have too much difficulty after that. Benrey did a decent job dispatching any enemies that came at him, and Gordon continued collecting miscellaneous items every so often. The silence was occasionally broken by Benrey asking a question, Gordon answering it, and then the two of them engaging in some witty banter.

* * *

At long last, the not-so dynamic duo made it to the deepest depths of Beach Cave. 

Gordon finally got to see who the Gligar’s partner in crime was. A Noibat with two golden earrings and a pink bandanna wrapped around their neck. The Gligar was tossing Gordon’s Relic Fragment up and down in his claws, and they stuck their tongue out in a mischievous manner when they noticed Gordon and Benrey staring at them.

“ _Oi, Josh_!” The Gligar nudged the Noibat in the side with one of their elbows. “We got company!”

Josh, the Noibat, sneered at the two. “Ey Jefforem, looks like sandy over ‘ere came to get ‘is stuff back!”

Gordon took a deep breath, signaling to Benrey to stand down when he saw him getting into a fighting stance. He didn't want to start fighting right off the bat. There was still a chance he could reason with these guys. Even though he really, really wanted to deck them both right in their faces for stealing something so special to him.

"Hey. You two." He took a step forward. "I don't want to fight. I just want my Relic Fragment back. It's really important to me."

The Gligar and Noibat exchanged an amused look. And then they both promptly burst into laughter. 

"Listen to the gibber-gabber comin' outta this guys mouth!" Jefforem wheezed, whacking his tail against the ground as he cackled. 

" _Ooooh, please give me my item back, it's very important to mee!_ " Josh said in a mocking tone. This just caused Jefforem to start laughing harder.

Gordon frowned, foot tapping against the ground. He glanced in his partner's direction. Benrey looked highly agitated. He was kicking up the sand, and he looked like he was just itching to make a move despite only having just learned the bare minimum basics of battling no less than 20 minutes ago. The laughter from Jefforem and Josh began dying down, and the Gligar cleared his throat to get their attention.

"Listen here, _buddy._ " Jefforem made a clear effort to emphasize the 'buddy.' He too, took some steps forward until he was just a few feet away from Gordon. And despite being much shorter than him, Jefforem had a malicious spark in his eye that sent a small intimidation-induced shudder down Gordon's spine. 

"That item of yours? Yeah. It's in OUR possession now. And you're not gonna sweet-talk us into givin' it back, got it?" He stuck his tongue out, blowing a raspberry. "If you want it back, you're gonna have'ta fight for it!"

Benrey suddenly bolted forward, skidding to a halt next to Gordon. He pointed one of his arms in the duo's direction.

"Hey. That thing you stole is very important to my pal here. Hand it over, please and thank you?"

"You have hearing issues or somethin' pal?" Jefforem asked, squinting at Benrey. "Didn'cha hear what we just told your little friend, 'ere?"

"You're gonna 'ave to fight for it!" Josh chimed in.

Gordon groaned in annoyance. He flexed his claws, fixing his gaze on Jefforem. "Fine. Fine, we'll fight. And if I win, you give me my item back."

"And if we win, we sell your shit and make bank!" Josh cackled. 

_Oooh yeah_. Gordon was angry now. Benrey looked slightly agitated, too. Gordon felt a bit nervous about him joining in this fight, but his whole reason for bringing him was that he didn't want to fight a 1 vs 2. He'd just have to hope to Arceus that this didn't end horrendously.

Gordon and Benrey took up fighting stances, Gordon flexing his claws and Benrey making clanging noises by smacking his arm blades together. Jefforem and Josh backed up and took fighting positions of their own, with Jefforem using his tail as a bouncy spring and Josh jumping up and down in anticipation. Gordon tilted his head slightly in Benrey's direction.

"You take Josh. I'll handle Jefforem."

Benrey grunted in affirmation. The stare down lasted a little while longer, and then Jefforem and Josh suddenly lunged forward with loud battle cries. Gordon barely had time to dodge a steel wing from Jefforem, and block when he came at him with a rapid surge of fury swipes. Fighting instincts kicking into high gear, Godon's tail lashed out, sweeping Jefforem off his feet and sending him tumbling to the ground. Gordon rolled up into a ball, quickly backing up to put some space between them. 

In a swift motion, Gordon, still curled up in a ball, hurtled towards Jefforem, and began smacking him around in a rollout barrage. 

Meanwhile, Benrey was locked in a struggle against Josh. Having what appeared to be a mock sword-fight, with Josh coming at Benrey with Wing Attack after Wing Attack and Benrey trying his best to parry each blow with his newly-learned Metal Claw. And to say Benrey was feeling overwhelmed would be an understatement. Josh was fast and confident, and he was inexperienced and clumsy. Most of his Metal Claws weren't even landing, and Benrey just became even more agitated when Josh started laughing at him.

"Yikes, who taught ya how to fight, man?" The Noibat did a quick mid-air barrel roll away from Benrey. "A Flailin' Magikarp?"

"Least I don't have a criminal record, bro." Benrey grumbled. "Maybe if your mommy loved you, you wouldn't be stealing from people."

"My mum DOES love me!" Josh screeched, whacking Benrey upside the head with a Wing Attack. Benrey stumbled back, hissing a little. 

"Ow, not cool."

While Benrey was distracted, Josh looked over towards where Jefforem and Gordon were scrapping. Jefforem was still being knocked around by Gordon's rollout attack, and kept getting hit before he could do anything to correct himself or fight back. Josh quickly sprung into action, flinging a whirlwind towards Jefforem when he got knocked into the air. The Gligar got blasted back by the sudden gusts of wind, hitting a wall at the far end of the room. Gordon collided with the wall on the other side of the chamber, uncurling and letting out a dazed groan. 

Jefforem lunged at Gordon with a quick attack, hitting him right in the stomach and knocking the wind out of him for the second time that day. He did end up managing to retaliate with a sand attack, tripping over Jefforem for the second time while he was stumbling around blinded by sand.

Shaking his head, Gordon realized he needed to handle this battle much differently. Jefforem and Josh had pretty good synergy, so he and Benrey had to fight back with synergy of their own.

"Hey, Benrey!" Gordon shouted. Benrey's head snapped in his direction, yellow eyes blown wide. He looked almost… uncertain. "Ready a Metal Claw!"

Before Benrey could answer, Gordon curled up into a ball again. But this time, Jefforem wasn't the unlucky recipient of his rollout. This time, he barreled directly into Josh, sending him flying backwards towards Benrey, who had thankfully listened to him, and managed to get in a clean hit with Metal Claw. Josh crumpled to the ground, groaning in pain, misery on his face. 

Gordon took a deep breath. One down, one to go. He didn't know how much longer his adrenaline rush would last, and Benrey was looking a tad worse for wear, so the two of them had to wrap this up ASAP. Gordon grinned, suddenly feeling very confident. Looking at his partner, he saw that Benrey had a prideful glint in his eyes. Yeah. He could work with this.

"Alright, Benrey. Let's take this creep out!"

Benrey nodded, doing a quick little stretch. Then, the two ran at Jefforem, who was still busy trying to rub sand out of his eyes. However, his reaction times were quick, and the sound of Gordon and Benrey charging at him was more than enough to get him to, quite literally, spring back into action. Using his tail as a spring again, he launched himself into the air, narrowly avoiding Benrey's metal claw.

But Gordon was getting tired. He was irritated, and wanted this fight to be over and done with. He and Benrey exchanged a look and some words, before Gordon picked Benrey up, minding his torso blades, and flung him into the air with all his might.

The sight of a Pawniard, a Pokemon that was almost completely covered in blades, being flung towards him, understandably caused Jefforem to falter. He lost his momentum and began flailing and yelling, and then was promptly silenced as Benrey struck him right in the chest with a Metal Claw, sending the Gligar crashing into the ground below, right next to Jefforem. A large cloud of dust and sand was kicked up as Jefforem made contact with the ground. 

Benrey landed on the ground, trying to do a stylish tuck-and-roll to slow down, but ended up tripping over his feet in the process, landing head-first into the sand. Gordon quickly ran over and helped him to his feet, and also helped Benrey dust the sand off. He breathed a sigh of relief. Cleaning back towards where the winged menaces were lying, he saw that his Relic Fragment had fallen out of Jefforems possession. He quickly snatched it up, tucking it back in his bag and smiling brightly.

"Oh yo. Did we win?" Benrey asked, moving to stand next to him. Gordon nodded, patting him on the shoulder.

"Yeah, we won, bud. Thank you Benrey, I don't think I could've done that without you."

"Hell yeah. Gordo 'n Benrey dream team. We've got the strats."

The Sandslash laughed affectionately. "Yeah, sure."

Gordon watched as Jefforem and Josh struggled to get to their feet. When they finally managed to raise their heads, they came face-to-face with an unamused Sandslash and Pawniard. Realizing they lost the battle, they quickly scrambled upright.

"Oh crap, Josh! We gotta dip, right now!"

"Way ahead 'o ya, Jefforem!" 

Before Gordon could say anything, the two dashed past him and Benrey and towards the exit faster than a Jolteon could run. 

The duo still in the cave exchanged a brief glance, before bursting into laughter. 

After their laughing fit died down, Gordon realized that his adrenaline had pretty much completely worn off, and now he was quite tired. Now that he had his item back… He supposed it was time to get Benrey to the guild. Then he could go home and have a nice, long sleep. He gently nudged Benrey' shoulder, nodding towards the exit. The two fell into comfortable silence as they began to make their way out of the dungeon.

* * *

As Gordon and Benrey exited the cave, they came to realize they had been in there a lot longer than they had initially thought. The sun was beginning to set, the tide had gone out and many of the Krabby had left. The occasional bubble did still float by, but they were a lot more scarce than they were earlier.

Benrey was busy rambling away about how cool that finishing move he did was, and Gordon couldn't help but find himself feeling… Oddly endeared by him. The guy was strange, sure, but he learned fairly quickly and worked with Gordon decent enough. Benrey was still quite clumsy when it came to using his moves, but with extensive training, Gordon had no doubt he could become a real powerhouse. 

But now, Gordon had to make do on what he said earlier and bring Benrey to the Guild. He really wasn't looking forward to facing the gate again, but some small part of him felt slightly comforted by the fact that Benrey would be with him this time. The two made their way along the trail that led to where the Guild was located.

"So. What's the deal with that weird rock of yours anyway?" Benrey asked, nudging Gordon in the side. 

"My Relic Fragment?" Gordon pulled the item in question out of his bag. "I… Don't really know myself, honestly. I found it in the first Dungeon I ever explored. I guess I see it as a good luck charm of sorts. I would like to find out where it came from one day, though."

"Huh. Looks like you've got yourself a funny little mystery to solve there." Benrey looked up at Gordon, eyeing his Relic Fragment curiously. "Unless it turns out to just be a sad dumb rock."

"I hope it doesn't turn out to be just a sad dumb rock!" Gordon wheezed at Benrey's wording. Benrey let out a chuckle, and the duo fell into a comfortable silence as they walked. Gordon tucked his Relic Fragment back into his back, and offered Benrey one of his spare Oran Berries. And Benrey scoffed it down lightning fast.

"Hey, Gordo." Benrey spoke after a while. The sudden sound caused Gordon to jump a little. "What's the Guild all about anyway?"

Gordon sighed. "Well. The people working at the guild do all kinds of things. They rescue Pokemon who find themselves lost in Mystery Dungeons, help others get their stolen or lost items back, and help the police arrest outlaws."

"So they're the guys in charge around here?"

"Technically speaking? Kind of. They also go around exploring and going on adventures. Their main reason for existing is exploring new Mystery Dungeons and uncovering hidden treasures."

"Oh hey!" Benrey ran ahead a little bit, and then turned around so he was walking backwards in order to maintain eye contact with Gordon. "Didn't you say you were interested in that kinda stuff?"

"Well- yes, but…" Gordon rubbed the back on his neck , glancing to the side. "It's true that joining the guild would grant me proper qualification to do the things I do, but I don't thi-"

"Yoooo, you've been doing all this adventurin' stuff illegally?" Benrey cut in, an amused glint in his eyes. "You a- a little criminal? Gordon Crimeman?"

"What? No!" Gordon quickly shook his head in denial. "Dude, you don't need a permit to go into dungeons. It's just not recommended without the proper training. And well… the only place you can really get proper training is the guild. They also allow you to form your own exploration teams. I'm not going to lie… I've always wanted to form my own exploration team. The idea of working with the guild, going on real missions and being able to help others has been a lifelong dream of mine."

"Then why don't you do it?" Benrey asked, now walking alongside Gordon again. The Sandslash let out a huff of air, shaking his head.

"Nerves, man. I always freak out at the gate."

"Oh, so you're a chicken hat, huh?"

Gordon choked, and began to wheeze. "A… A what?"

"Chicken hat, _bok bok bok_." Benrey repeated. Gordon couldn't contain it. He burst into laughter, doubling over a little.

"You are… a damn anomaly, man."

"Yeah, well. Y'wanna know what I think?" Benrey made another lip smacking noise. "I think you should just join the guild. Get over your cringe fears. Become an epic adventurer 'n shit."

"If only it were that easy. I'm taking you to the guild for medical help, and that's entirely different than showing up to the gate to sign up. Once I drop you off there I may not be able to work up the courage to do it again."

"Then do it tonight." Benrey hummed. If Gordon had any water in his mouth, he probably would've spat it out. "Get it over with. Don't be a chicken hat. Chicken hat, derogatory, lol."

"Did… did you just say- no. No you know what." Gordon stopped walking. "Benrey, you have a point! If I don't do this shit now, then I probably never will. And then I'll grow old and sad and then die without having achieved anything meaningful."

"Uh-huh." A low hum came from Benrey. If Gordon hadn't been stuck with this guy for the past few hours, he'd probably think Benrey sounded disinterested due to his naturally monotone voice. " _Can I join you?_ "

Potential spit-take part two. Gordon stammered, trying desperately to find his words. "You… You want to _JOIN_ me?"

Benrey kicked the dirt, suddenly finding the trees to his right very interesting. "Yeah. See, thing is- I don't have anywhere else to go, man. I don't know where I came from, I don't remember anything from when I was human, all I remember is that I WAS human, and my name. You're the only guy I know here. Help a bro out, maybe?"

Gordon thought hard about it. Benrey did have a good point. He had nowhere to go. And judging by everything he's told him, he was quite literally lost in a strange new world. Benrey was turning to him for help. And, well… part of forming an exploration team was helping other Pokemon, was it not? He'd technically be a hypocrite if he refused. Besides, he and Benrey worked pretty well together back in Beach Cave. True, Benrey was rusty with his moves and his knowledge about certain things was limited, but Gordon supposed he'd make a pretty decent teammate with a bit more practice.

And Gordon would be lying if he said that he didn't somewhat enjoy the Pawniard's company. Benrey's one-liners and odd manner of speech were honestly quite amusing. 

Making his decision, Gordon nodded. "Alright. You can join me, Benrey,"

Benrey's eyes seemed to light up with the force of the entire sun. "Oh, yo! Thanks! Gordo 'n Benrey DREAM TEAM in the _real!_ "

Gordon started laughing again, and Benrey quickly joined in. It was in this moment that Gordon realized that this was probably the happiest he'd ever been in quite a while. His day started off terribly, and ended wonderfully. And he found a new friend and future teammate in an amnesiac Pawniard he found washed up on the beach.

The duo continued their banter and jokes, even when the Guild building came into view. And for once, Gordon didn't feel anxious for what was to come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Two DONE! Artwork accompanying it! I want to draw do a piece of art for each chapter, only reason Chapter One didn't get one was because I didn't like how it looked :(  
> As always, thanks for reading and feedback is encouraged!


	3. Chapter Three - Crossing the Threshold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gordon and Benrey finally make it to the Guild, ready to form an Exploration Team.

**Chapter Three - Crossing the Threshold**

Gordon and Benrey found themselves standing at the gate of the Guild. The sun had almost completely gone down, and the fire pits situated just outside the main building had been lit, casting a purple-blue glow around the area. Gordon turned his head towards Benrey, taking a deep breath. There was a grate in the ground just in front of the main entrance, which was currently sealed shut by a giant boulder. 

“So.” Benrey turned to look at Gordon. “What do we do here?”

“We have to, uh.” Gordon pointed a claw at the grate. “Stand on that grate there. Then the sentry stationed underground will scan our footprints and let us in.”

“Yooo, they’re gonna scan our fuckin’ FEET bro?”

Gordon wheezed out a laugh. “When you say it like that- yeah that does sound kind of weird.”

“Weird?? Dude, they straight up got a fucking foot scanner HD here.”

“Well, we’re not going to get anywhere unless we stand on the ‘ _foot scanner HD._ ’” He motioned towards the grate again, smiling. “Humans first!”

“You too chicken to go first?” Benrey asked, stepping towards the grate. “You too chicken so you’re making good ol’ Benny boy go first?”

“No.” Gordon lied. “Just being polite.”

Rolling his eyes at Gordon, Benrey then took a moment to examine the grate. It looked like it’d be super uncomfortable to stand on. Deciding to get it over and done with, he slowly stepped onto the grate, and waited. He was then startled by a loud voice coming from below.

“The footprint belongs to a Pawniard! I repeat, the footprint belongs to a Pawniard!”

Benrey’s head spun towards Gordon, who was standing off to the side, ears pressed down against his head as he cringed. Probably from how loud the sentry was. Then someone else spoke.

“Roger that! Pawniard, you’re clear. You have someone with you, right? Get ‘em up here!”

Benrey stepped off the grate, watching as Gordon hesitantly approached. The Sandshrew took a deep breath, stepping forward- ok. Oh great Arceus this was actually happening for real this time. Gordon placed both feet on the grate and held his breath. Just as that overwhelming pressure was about to return and force him to step back for the second time that day, he locked eyes with Benrey. In those yellow eyes he could’ve sworn he saw the teeniest glint of encouragement. And before he knew it… It was over.

“The footprint belongs to a Sandslash! I repeat, the footprint belongs to a Sandslash!”

“Roger that. Pawniard, Sandslash, you’re both clear. You may ENTER.”

Gordon went to stand next to Benrey again, wiping the sweat from his forehead and releasing the breath he had been holding. Benrey winked at him, and Gordon cracked the faintest of smiles in response.

“Not bad for a chicken.”

“Oh for Arceus’ sake Benrey, shut up!” Gordon playfully smacked Benrey on the head. The two then jumped when the boulder blocking the entrance to the guild began rolling to the side. Gordon closed his eyes.

“No turning back, now.”

“Back then I would’ve been giving you a thumbs up if I still had hands.”

Gordon snorted. “Wow. I appreciate the sentiment. Now let’s go in before I change my mind again.”

“Like a chicken.”

“Ok seriously, shut up.”

* * *

Gordon had always wondered what the inside of the Guild looked like. Ever since he was a little Sandshrew. The mystery interior of the building carved into the side of a mountain. And to say he was awestruck would’ve been an understatement. The top floor alone was enough to make an aspiring adventurer cry. Maps with different colored pins stuck through them lined the walls, the rocky walls had been painted a deep purple, turning to a more pinkish color as the ceiling got closer, and there were two large bulletin boards at the back of the room with papers and posters plastered all over them. Moonlight was streaming in through the windows, casting the room in a pale glow. Gordon would’ve thought that everyone had turned in for the night if it weren’t for the sound of muffled chatter that came from the floor below them.

Gordon’s heart felt like it was about to explode. This was really happening huh. Years of being too scared to cross the threshold and he was finally here. All he had to do now was go downstairs, find the Guildmaster and ask to form an Exploration Team. Seemed simple enough.

The room suddenly grew a tad bright. A purple glow danced on the walls and the room felt a little colder. Gordon felt a shiver run through his whole body and his spines stood on end. Looking down at Benrey, he noticed that he was shifting rather uncomfortably.

“Dude.” Benrey whispered. “I feel like someones staring holes into my back.”

“Probably because someone _is._ ”

Benrey and Gordon quickly spun around upon hearing the snappy voice. Now floating in front of them was a Chandelure wearing a burnt cape and blue glasses and an annoyed expression on their face. 

“Whatever it is you’re selling, we don’t want it.”

“O-oh…” Gordon stammered, trying to quickly gather his thoughts. “We… Aren’t trying to sell you anything?.”

Their eyes narrowed, and Benrey was wondering how their glasses stayed on their face. They didn’t have a nose. Or ears for that matter. 

“Then why are you here?” The Chandelure floated closer, staring straight into Gordon’s eyes. Gordon shivered as they came closer. Despite being a fire type, those flames seemed to give off very little warmth… “Are you an exploration team from one of the other continents? Or are you here in need of help?”

“Well…” Gordon mumbled, backing away slightly. “We’re actually… _Here_ . To _form_ an Exploration Team.”

The Chandelure looked the duo up and down for a moment, before sighing. “You want to join the guild. Couldn’t you at least have waited until the _morning_?”

“Not really?” Gordon motioned to Benrey, who had been silent the whole time. “You see, my partner here… I only just met him this afternoon. I found him passed out on the beach and he has amnesia and I was going to bring him to the guild right then and there for a medical examination but then I got robbed and he helped me get my stuff back and that’s why we’re here so late.”

“It was only evening like 5 minutes ago.” Benrey chimed in.

“Right.” Again, the Chandelure’s eyes narrowed. “Alright, let’s just get this over with. I want to go the fuck to bed. Follow me.”

They began floating down the stairs, the chill following close behind. Benrey looked back up at Gordon.

“Wow. That guy’s kinda. Kinda rude huh.”

“I wouldn’t say rude… Exactly. Annoyed, probably.” Gordon responded, trying to rub the goosebumps off his skin. 

“Hurry up you two, I haven’t got all night!” Came a voice from below. Gordon sighed and pat Benrey on the head. “We should go.”

With that, the two followed the Chandelure down the stairs.

* * *

The atmosphere on the second floor was much more welcoming and warm. Fire pits had been lit down here and a few Pokemon- probably members of the Guild, were sitting around them, chatting and laughing. A few cast a few curious glances their way, but quickly went back to what they were doing. Curtains had been drawn over the windows, meaning the only source of light in the room came from the aforementioned fire pits. The purple flames combined with the dark paint covering the walls might’ve looked spooky and creepy to outsiders, but the energy in the room carried only pleasant emotions. 

“This is the floor where the apprentices usually hang out. Team registration is this way.”

The Chandelure led them over to a large door, painted a forest green color that stood out against the dark purple walls but at the same time, didn’t look bad. The fighting type symbol had been painted on the door in a lighter green. So the Guildmaster was a fighting type?

Their guide knocked loudly on the door using one of their appendages. “Harold! Harold there are two Pokemon here who wish to join the Guild!”

The door creaked open, and a jovial voice called, “Come in!”

The Chandelure nodded at Gordon and Benrey, and they hesitantly piled into the room. Gordon stared at the floor, nervously rubbing the side of his face. Ok. Time to meet the Guildmaster.

“Hello there, strangers!” 

Gordon finally looked up. And he really had to look up. Standing before him and Benrey was a Bewear almost twice his height wearing a green bowtie with an explorers badge clipped to it. An immediate contrast he noticed between the Guildmaster and his apparent partner, was that he seemed a lot more relaxed and welcoming. 

“My name is Harold Coomer. But most Pokemon here just call me Guildmaster Coomer. Bubby over here is the only one who ever really calls me Harold. He just so happens to be my valued partner and deputy!” Guildmaster Coomer nudged his head in the direction of the Chandelure. ‘Bubby’ rolled his eyes, making a huffing noise. 

Benrey looked like he was about to make a comment about Bubby’s name, but Gordon quickly stopped him from doing so by deciding to introduce himself and his partner. 

“My name is Gordon Freeman, sir. My partner here is named Benrey. We’d like to join the Guild, if that’s alright.”

“It’s always alright, Gordon!” Coomer walked closer to the two. “We always love to have new aspiring adventurers in our ranks!”

He pulled out a clipboard and began scribbling some things down. Gordon then realized that Bubby had left the room. He was about to ask Coomer where he went, but was stopped by him beginning to talk.

“Alright. First things first, I need to gather some information about you two. Do either of you have adventuring experience and or knowledge?”

“Oh- I do.” Gordon said. “I know dungeon basics, and have even explored a few.”  
  
Coomer nodded, and turned to Benrey. “What about your partner here?”

“Only been in one dungeon.” Benrey mumbled. “Don’t know too much. Gordo over here taught me a little when we were in there. Beat up some guys. ‘Was cool.”

“Right. And do either of you have any immediate family? We need to know so that in case of severe emergency your families can be notified and kept updated.”

Gordon shook his head. “Lost contact with my parents years ago. They weren’t… The nicest pokemon. I do have a brother but he left a good while ago. Went to the Water Continent to start a life in Lively Town, I think.” 

He looked down at Benrey, and something about the way he was shifting around uncomfortably made his heart ache. He hadn’t really thought about it before but… Losing your memory must really suck. Especially if you forget your loved ones.

“I dunno.” Is all Benrey said. His voice was low, almost inaudible.

Coomer frowned. “So no family?”

Both of them nodded. The energy in the room became somewhat tense, the only noise coming from Coomers pen on the clipboard. Eventually, the Guildmaster cleared his throat. “Alright. Now that that’s out of the way, we can do team registration. First, you two need to state your team's name!”

“Our… Team name?” Gordon asked, ears drooping a little. “We didn’t… Think about that, did we?”

He looked down at Benrey. “What do you think would be a good team name for us? Please don’t say something stupid.”

Benrey began thinking. Gordon was really putting him on the spot here. Not cool. He’s never had to come up with a team name before, he thinks. Ok. Ok yeah, he can do this. How hard could it possibly be? Benrey looks Gordon up and down. Nothing too remarkable. The spines stood out though. Spines…Spiky. Benrey looked down at his blade arms. And he had a blade sticking out of his forehead too, didn’t he? He was very pointy. Pointy. Spiky. 

Without thinking ahead, Benrey said; “Pointyspike.”  
  
…

After a long moment of silence, Gordon burst out laughing, almost doubling over. Tears pricked the corners of his eyes and Benrey felt an odd sense of… Joy. At being able to make his new friend laugh like that. Gordon removed his glasses, wiping his eyes and opening his mouth to say something along the lines of _‘no, Benrey. We are NOT calling ourselves Team Pointyspike.’_

But before he could, Coomer finished scribbling on his clipboard and without missing a beat, declared, “Alright! It’s official! From now on, you two will be known as Team Pointyspike.”

Gordon groaned. “Benrey, I said DON’T say something stupid.”  
  
“But bro think about it… It like… Totally suits us. I’m pointy. You’re spiky. Put 'em together and boooooom. Pointyspike.”

“Just because it suits us doesn’t mean it’s good.”

“You’re just jealous you couldn’t come up with anything better.”

Before the two could start arguing over the ethics of team naming, Coomer placed a wooden box in front of them. Gordon and Benrey looked up at the Guildmaster, confusion on their faces.

“It’s an exploration kit!” Coomer explained. “Open it up. It contains all the necessary equipment Exploration Teams will need on their adventures.”

Gordon opened the box. Inside was a large treasure bag- a bag much bigger than the one he was using currently. Oh he already loved this. Also inside the box were two official Exploration Team Badges. He tossed one to benrey who instantly dropped it due to having blades for hands. Gordon rolled his eyes, and helped the Pawniard clip the badge to his scarf, before clipping his badge to his bandanna. The final item in the bag was a complete map of the entire Grass Continent. A very useful item indeed. He stashed it in the treasure bag, looking back up at Coomer, a smile on his face.

“Thank you so much, Coomer!”

“You’re welcome! Now, when Bubby gets back, he’ll show you to your room. Where did that Chandelure go, anyway…”

“Right here, Harold.” 

Floating in the doorway of the room was Bubby. This time he was with another Pokemon. An Audino. 

“Sandslash, you said you wanted to get your friend checked out by the medics, right?”

Gordon looked between Bubby and the Audino, nodding. “Uh- yeah. You’re still okay with that, right Benrey?”

Benrey shrugged in response. “I guess. If it’ll help.”  
  
The Audino smiled. “Alrighty~ If you’ll just follow me, I’ll take you to the medical ward for a quick checkup! I might keep you overnight, if that’s alright?”

Benrey looked up at Gordon, who offered an encouraging smile. He sighed, and nodded. “Yeah. That’s fine.”

“I’ll see you in the morning, Benrey. Oh- I don’t know if I said it before but…”

Very carefully, being mindful of all his blades, Gordon pulled Benrey in for a hug. “Thanks for all the shit you did today, man. I really… I _really_ fucking appreciate it.”

“Kinda gay of you. But you’re welcome.”

Gordon laughed, playfully pushing him away. The two waved goodbye as the Audino led Benrey away, and Gordon was left standing with the Guildmaster and his second-in-command. Bubby then tapped him on the shoulder, which made Gordon shiver as the cold metal of his appendage came into contact with his skin. But he realized… His flames were suddenly giving off heat?

“Follow me to your room. You can show your partner where it is when you reunite in the morning. I’m not doing it for you.”

“Goodnight, Gordon!” Coomer hollered as Bubby led him out of the room and down a corridor. As soon as Coomer was out of sight, Bubby’s flames grew cold again. Gordon would be lying if he said he wasn’t somewhat interested in that. At the far end of the corridor was a room that was almost completely empty save for two straw beds and a window that shone moonlight into the room. 

“Tomorrow you wake up bright and early, just like everyone else. Okay?” Bubby said. Gordon nodded. 

“Alright. Thanks… Bubby.”

Bubby glanced to the side. “Yeah, yeah. Now get some shut eye. I, as well as many others who work here, want to go the fuck to sleep.”

And with that, Bubby left, leaving Gordon completely alone for the first time in hours. And it was only then that Gordon realized how fucking exhausted he was. Deciding to take the bed farthest from the window, he curled up, letting out a loud yawn and placing his glasses and badge to the side. As he tried to fall asleep, he couldn’t help but recount all the day's events. He hoped Benrey was doing okay. He cracked open an eye and looked at the empty bed. Somehow Benrey not being there didn’t feel right. Sighing, he let his eye fall shut again. The medics would be taking care of him. But Gordon couldn’t help but worry. Benrey really seemed to believe that he used to be human, and Gordon… against all odds, found himself believing him. And the amnesia… Arceus’ sake, what _happened_ to this guy?

Gordon kept asking himself these questions in his mind until eventually… He fell into silent slumber. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I vanished for a week or two, there! Got busy with Christmas and New Years celebrations, as well as a brief motivation drop. But I'm back, and hopefully updates will come faster! But now the peepaws are here and we can start getting into the meat of the story :)

**Author's Note:**

> HELLO HI I'm a huge fan of the Pokemon Mystery Dungeon series, especially Explorers of Sky, so I decided to make an HLVRAI AU out of it :) 
> 
> Reference Sheets for the characters are here:  
> https://nauti-from-the-seafloor.tumblr.com/post/636612583567376384/helloooooo-everyone-today-i-bring-you-hlvrai
> 
> I'll add the other refs once I have them made! 
> 
> As usual, criticism and comments are greatly appreciated! I'm hoping to actually make good headway with this fic. :)


End file.
